Rewriting the War of the Ring
by CN Ravenhair
Summary: Kate and her pal Smee stumble into Middle Earth and into the hands of the most unlikely people. Believe me, Kate finds her situation more unusual than you readers, so go on and find out why!
1. Author's Notes

  
**Author's Notes and other stuff**

DISCLAIMERS 

Tomb Raider and Lara Croft belong to Core Design and Eidos Interactive. Lord of the Rings and all elements used thereof belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and associates. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fan work, for personal use with no monetary value on it. 

The character Kate Bel Ana belongs to me, the author. You can't use her without telling me at least. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The Encyclopedia of Arda has been a GREAT help to this story, because without it book-based facts would have a lesser chance of being accurate. Please visit it, die-hard Tolkien fans! Visit it now! 

MANY THANKS 

To BlinkSki182 and Vendea Almare. They have encouraged me thus far, and I want to dedicate this fanfic to them! ^__^ 

STORY BACKGROUND 

*Of Timeline Alterations 

Rewriting the War of the Ring encompasses the whole LotR trilogy. It starts about six months before the Council of Elrond. This was held, book-wise, on December 25. It is noteworthy that Legolas mentions that the Mirkwood elves' pursuit of the fugitive Gollum took place late in the summer. This would mean around middle to late August. My plan was to have Kate enter Middle Earth around mid-June, and to have encountered the Mirkwood elves by the time of Gollum's escape. 

This is obviously an alteration on the timeline because, as was noted in the book appendix B, Balin's colony in Moria was obliterated by orcs 24 years before the Council of Elrond. Kate was supposed to meet dwarves in Moria in June of 3018, the same year as when the Council was held. (There is an obvious problem here, too. The bones that Gimli and company would stumble upon when they enter Moria aren't too dusty yet! This has potential ickiness, but I have done my best to recreate the Mines of Moria part to my timeline's advantage.) 

More alterations will definitely occur, but this is the most important one. All else will follow, you see. 

-o0o- 

Well, I hope you enjoy the story! Enough of this seriousness, it's a fun read, really. Go on now! ^_^ 


	2. Prologue

  
**Prologue**

Dusk was beginning to yield to the darkness, but she still hasn't found a trace of her quarry. Over at about a hundred yards down west, and a brief but chilly dip in chest-high water, was the last mark of their passing—overturned stones and a bit of blood. She suspected a turn into the forest, this twenty-foot towering wall of yew that blocked the setting sun from the moment she got out of the frigid river. She had hesitated to enter it at first, thinking that she was sorely lacking in defence and had wounds of her own to tend, to be chasing them at their heels. So, for the past 5 minutes, she had been hoping to find another entrance into the barricade of trees and, chest heaving from exhaustion, walked the hundred yards or more in small hope that she would be able to intercept them, and with a healthy strike of luck, get her artefact and scoot. God help it if she died here tonight, but she had to get the talisman back. 

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Lara Croft muttered to herself, "and I'm a desperate woman." 

In one swift movement, she drew her twin pistols and moved into the bush. To her surprise, she met her fate not with a bullet, nor from an expendable thug, but from the swift death of an arrow that pierced her tanktop and went right into her heart. When she fell to her knees and looked up in her last, dying gaze, she beheld the most terrifying vision of a hideous, humanoid monster; its grimy, beastly face contorted in a blood-curdling shriek. 
    
     -=-=-=-=-=-

Kate shot up from bed with a startled scream. When the cloud of panic finally left her eyes, she realized two things: one, the computer was still running, and two, she had fallen asleep on her chair. The dream was starting to dissipate now, and with panicked realization, she tried to hold on to as much as she could of its memory. In the couple of seconds it took to forget the dream, all she could remember was that she had been Lara Croft and she had died in a forest that reeked of a horrible stench. In the end, Kate thought it a futile endeavour to try remembering something that apparently was a fantasy. A quick glance on her computer screen confirmed her suspicions—she had fallen asleep playing a Tomb Raider game, and her Lara Croft was lying dead, too, from the looks of it. With a relieved sigh, she finally turned the computer off. Her being Lara Croft was a hundred percent illogical; she had the bust, or notable lack thereof, to prove it. Besides, she'd only _dream_ of being –that– athletic. 

Kate's digital clock read 2:00 A.M. "Jesus," she croaked, wiping the crust from her eyes. "Who'd be up at this ungodly hour?" 

A trudge downstairs to the kitchen for some milk (straight from the carton, who'd care?) and a haphazard trip to the bathroom later, Kate found herself slipping into her bedtime wear: a pair of bright red cotton short shorts and a loose black t-shirt with a gothic-sort of cross in white relief on the backside. By this time, she had forgotten all about her dream, else managed to shove it all down into the depths of her subconscious, because she was occupying herself with counting the glow in the dark stars stuck to her ceiling. 

"A funny night, eh Smee?" Kate spoke softly to her stuffed bear, who was properly dressed as his namesake. She twiddled with its dwarf cap for a bit, never taking her eyes off the glowing green constellations of her own creation. "It's cool to be a tomb raider, I guess, but you know you're no British butler. Hmm…Captain Piccard, I still could see it…if only I could get the damn pc game; then you'd definitely have to be Data!" Smee did not comment, but merely stared up at the ceiling with his inanimate glass eyes. "Oh, I could live without these stars, alright, but I'd be lost without you." 

Kate hugged her bear, as a ritual finale of sorts, to the one-sided dialogue she engages with Smee every night. It seemed really silly, and it wasn't exactly the sort of fantasy you'd expect a 14-yr old to be having, but it was the one Kate remained perfectly comfortable with, because the rest faded to hodgepodge for her. 
    
     -=-=-=-=-=-

When did the stars get blue? 

Kate had never seen this place before, never been here before, and she couldn't just imagine herself IMAGINING it. But here she was, and Smee was with her—comfortably tucked under one arm, with nothing else but iridescent baubles of blue light scattered about the floor…if you could call this a floor—it was grey, cold, hard…but felt like the surface of an egg. 

The sound of rippling drew her head up, and to her great astonishment, a ceiling made of water rippled softly just a few feet above her head. It was there that she discovered her source of light: a spreadsheet of a billion bright blue dots. They were stars, she knew, and all of them shone down like a glittering ceiling. Kate clutched Smee tighter, and hoped that she'd be out of this dream soon. 

"You have come, child." 

The voice startled Kate, of course. But she didn't trust herself enough to recognize it as some bizarre, paranormal…thing. It had to be her subconscious, and she muttered just such, and even nodded her head in hopes of drilling in some logic and reason. 

"Come now! You must hurry!" 

Okaaay…this voice echoed eerily, and it was definitely, DEFINITELY not her subconscious. She wasn't that demented, now was she? To be sounding like some bloody ice queen straight from the fairytales and out to get you in your dreams…? 

On a wild impulse, Kate looked up again, and promptly received the scare of her life. A face! A goddamn woman's face in the water! 

Now, a very large part of her wanted to throw logic and reason out the window and follow her common sense, i.e. make a run for it. But before she could commit this very idiotic blunder, the face decided to speak. 

"Don't be afraid, man-child. I will guide you to safety." The face was radiant, and through it Kate saw the woman actually smile. Her hair was brilliant gold and she was very beautiful, and those cerulean eyes were deep and seemingly unfathomable. Kate gathered up her bravery and drew nearer to the face, almost parallel to it…er, her as she looked up. 

"Is this some kind of prophetic dream? Are you going to grant me a wish? Maybe you're a ghost," then Kate tilted her head, "a very cool ghost with this kind of set-up. Or are you an omen, angel of death?" 

The canopy of stars were like a crown on her beautiful face, and when the woman smiled again Kate had the distinct feeling she had just made a mighty big fool of herself. But the woman didn't mind her questions. In fact, Kate observed, 'She doesn't seem to be seeing as in seeing me. Her eyes just pass through me like I'm a spirit or something.' This thought made her fear for her life, and she clutched Smee even tighter as she looked up to the woman's face. "Answer me now!" She demanded. "Am I dead already?" 

This time the face gave her a long, quizzical look, which was really creepy. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, the woman's head just pulled out of the water, leaving Kate alone once more. 

"Ooooh…when am I going to wake up!" Kate growled, very pissed at what was going on. She didn't actually know what was going on; all she knew was that she remembered falling asleep and then suddenly finding herself here with Smee. But it all didn't make sense, especially the fact that she was still here, even after having slapped herself three painful times. "Am I ever going to wake up?" She whispered to the water ceiling. 

Suddenly, there was a whole mess of ripples at one part of the big ceiling, and Kate ran up to it. All too soon, an arm emerged. This was freaky; to say the least, but fear was the last thing Kate had in mind in her desperation to wake up. She stopped, however, long enough to observe the arm. It protruded only up to just above the triceps, and looked very cold and clammy owing to the lighting. It was hanging limp, but obviously waiting for something…a hand, to grasp its own, and maybe to pull it up and out of this blue purgatory. Before Kate could get a hold of the hanging limb, however, the same woman's voice reverberated throughout the…space? 

"Fated, child, you are. In your hands, all will come to an end. Choose your end wisely, and the rest shall follow." 

Kate didn't give much of a mind to this last message, and little did she consider it as a warning or prophesy. Her main concern, as of the moment she heard that voice reverberate, was to get out of this enclosed space. She knew it by the bouncing sounds, like in a large room sans acoustic equipment, and wanted to ditch the place as soon as possible. It was tough to admit her claustrophobia, but the blue purgatory was the last place she'd want to end up with her worst fear. 

With a mighty grip, the arm hauled her up. Kate was vaguely aware of the stars getting dimmer, not brighter as should be the case of her getting nearer to them. The moment she got out of the water though, a blast of blinding light had hit her straight on and she passed out. 


	3. Chapter 1

  
**Chapter 1 : Creature in the Water**

Balder stepped up his pace with a lively whistle. It had been a while since he'd breathed the fresh air of the mountains, and he could himself more than ever agree that anywhere else was better than inside that abominable, stifling mine. 

"Oy, Balder!" Gridel yelled, huffing and puffing behind his friend. "Wait up, cousin! Wait up, you twittering oaf!" 

Balder stopped at this and waited until Gridel had clambered down the rocky hill. "And what made you say that? You blundering buffoon! It's your legs that have turned to solid rock, and I didn't exactly invite you to this trip." Balder's voice was stern, and he glared angrily at his cousin, but Gridel waved this off like it were a fly. He had gotten used to this kind of treatment, ever since their beards had started to grow, and he knew how to deal with his cousin's wrath easily. 

"My friend, do you know that the Mirrormere is nearby? We must certainly visit this sacred pool that Durin the Deathless, who built the pillars of Khazad-dum, had gazed upon a many thousand years ago!" 

This bit of hodgepodge was greeted with glee, and Balder quickly forgot his grudge. Both Dwarves knew where the enchanted waters rested; in fact, they had been there countless times already. Yet, never had any of the Dwarves grown weary of visiting because of their belief in the Mirrormere's magic, as well as its beauty. Seldom did any dwarf develop love beyond the good earth's hold, but the Mirrormere is one beautiful jewel of nature they would always value above their precious gems. 

Gridel was taking his leisure to reach the pool's edge, whereas his cousin had already settled on a small boulder that both knew had the perfect view of the rippling mass. It was odd however, now that Gridel was close enough to notice, how the water could ripple so much without much of a breeze to touch it, nor a leaf to drop on its surface. 

"Gridel! Quickly!" Balder motioned for his cousin to hurry. He seemed to be terrified of something, and Gridel rushed to his cousin's aid. 

"What is it, Balder?" Gridel asked, though unsuccessfully. Balder was frozen to the stone; his lips sealed tight and his eyes wide in fright. His finger, however, pointed toward a spot in the water. There seemed to be something bobbing on the surface…something furry and small. 

"What could that be?" Balder's hoarse whisper startled his beard off, but it was just because Gridel could not believe how cowardly his cousin just sounded. He shook his head and muttered under his breath, "I swear by my hammer, you're more a sissy elf than a dwarf sometimes." Balder didn't seem to have heard this, as he continued to watch the object floating in the water. His eyes silently followed Gridel's movement, too. The other dwarf didn't think he should be afraid of a small ball of fur, for he was certain that was just it. 

Gridel picked up a long, thin branch and tentatively prodded the little bobbing thing. It didn't seem to be alive because he felt no resistance nor movement whatsoever from the creature. Strengthening his resolve, he managed to tow it in towards the bank with his makeshift pole, and gingerly picked it up out of the water. 

What a mysterious creature he discovered! Gridel was sure it was dead, for even now it felt cold and unmoving, but he was still very astonished. The animal, if it was indeed one, had brown fur on its limbs and head like any other ordinary animal he had seen, but its coat! Its coat resembled a shirt, striped white and bright red and unbelievably soft, despite being damp. The creature also had two unmistakable articles of clothing, a black leather eye-patch and a red, cotton cap—brimless and apparently stuck to its head. His skin crawled, however, when he realized that the dead animal stared at him with open, lidless and glassy eyes. They were an evil color, obsidian black, and were round little gimlets that seemed threatening and haunting at the same time. 

"Gridel! Gridel!" Balder cried once more, interrupting the other dwarf's thoughts. His cousin Balder was now jumping up and down on the stone, giddy, it seemed, but with excitement or fright? Gridel looked to the water again, and what he saw more than surprised him. There was another creature floating on the water! 

Gridel pulled, pushed and prodded. He had been at it for a long while now, and he was getting irritated. Balder was no help either, preferring to stand back with a clumsy grip on his iron mallet, just in case the creature would wake and suddenly attack. Well, it was pretty funny to see his sissy cousin reduced to a blubbering idiot—and was well worth a few good drinks later, Gridel reminded himself—but for the moment, all that his cousin Balder meant to him was a lump of useless coal. And Gridel might as well be glad to burn the twat for his cowardice. What a disgrace! 

The creature slowly drifted to the bank of the pool. He had had to exert double effort for this one. There was a note of alarm at this, Gridel observed bitterly, for he realized that with the weight he was dealing with, if this creature would suddenly awake before his cousin would have at least a chance in killing it, he would be mincemeat on the spot. The creature was big, weighing about as much as one of the Tall peoples, but not too heavy, like the adults, which meant that there was a slim chance it was still alive. This was bad, of course. At least dead weight meant a dead animal to examine, and no rising corpse to fight. Gridel shot a stinging glare at his cousin, which Balder just ignored. 

The face that surfaced on the water, even with the tangled mass of black hair, obviously belonged to a young girl. A man-child! There could be no mistake. Gridel, emboldened by this discovery, knelt by the unconscious form and examined her ears. There were no fine points, which was a relief, since a dwarf stumbling upon a dead elf would sure cause trouble with the fair folk—no excuses there. 

"A man-child! Gridel, what could this mean?" Balder asked, having gathered his wits and finally helping his cousin haul the body off the water. 

Despite his exhaustion, Gridel managed a small shrug. He kept his thoughts to himself, though he knew Balder was worrying about this matter, too. How could a man-child just float up from the Mirrormere? How was all this possible? 

"I don't know…what in Aulë's name is going on. But we'd better get back to Moria before it gets dark." 


	4. Chapter 2

  
**Chapter 2 : A Room in Khazad-dum**

Waking up has never been a favorite activity, but it was certainly worth doing if she didn't want her mother pounding on her door and yelling "Kate Bel Ana!!!" in her most grating, shrill pitch. 

Come to think of it, Kate had been tossing under her covers for five minutes now, and there was still no shrilly voice nor pounding on the door. The duvet seemed to be extra thick, too. Considering that it was the height of summer, Kate felt this a bit odd. How could her blanket grow thick overnight anyway? 

Finally, her own body clock forced her eyes to open. Kate heaved the covers off her body and sat up to do some lame stretches. As the last vestiges of sleep faded from her mind, she began to realize the oddness of her surroundings. 

'This isn't my room…' was the first thing that came to mind. The room was too big and quite dim, and although she felt like it was high noon already, a few candles lit its corners. Spare, metal-looking furnishings replaced her clutter of chests and cabinets and there was no sign at all of her posters and bookshelves. 

'Odd…this isn't my bed, either…' Kate thought, and all at once looked down on her covers. They weren't the white and pale yellow sheets she expected to see. Rather, the single blanket was as thick as a bear rug and seemed to be made of fur, too. Kate threw the heavy blanket off her body, and made an even more alarming discovery. 

"These aren't my clothes either!" She exclaimed, unable to keep the surprise to herself. She didn't care if anyone heard, and was actually expecting her mom to come barging in any minute now to scold her for shouting. But no one came through the door, the room remained as it was, and Kate was still wearing this brown, cotton, sack-like thing. 

To say that panic gripped her would be an understatement. Kate was ready to go wild, and she was about to get off the bed to do some mad screaming when a brief shock of red caught her eye. 

"My clothes!" Kate exclaimed, and she said this in a lower tone. The sight of her black shirt and red knickers immediately tamed her, and she at once felt ashamed for acting like some animal. 

Her clothes were draped on a chair by the bed, neatly folded and pressed it seemed, and so she didn't need to get off to be able to get a hold of them. She quickly wriggled out of the sack-like thing and entertained a couple of musings while putting on her own clothing. 

'This sure beats that funky dream I had,' Kate thought absently. 'Wherever this is, Smee isn't here, so it's still a dream. But when did I ever dream of being stuck in a dreary place?' 

Just as she pulled her t-shirt through her arms, the door suddenly burst open. 

"Oh! You're awake!" A gruff, nasal voice exclaimed. Kate couldn't make out the gender of the voice, but if it was female, it would probably resemble a Viking woman's rough alto. 

Brisk steps clanked toward the bed, and Kate caught the first glimpse of her captor? savior? with the candlelight. 

"MERLIN'S BEARD!" Kate exclaimed, before she could clamp her mouth shut. At the quizzical look she received from the…er, woman…she attempted to salvage the situation by saying, "I mean, a woman's beard!" 

Urk! That didn't even sound right, and Kate had to wince. But when she finally had the courage to look at the bearded woman, she was surprised to find a shy smile. 

"Why, thank you. I shall take that as a complement," then a rosy blush colored her round cheeks, "even if a man-child was the first to mention it." 

It took a LOT of effort for Kate not to gag. What did she mean 'a complement'!? Is it even supposed to be normal for women to have BEARDS, for chrissake!? 

The…bearded woman seemed to be waiting for her to speak, so Kate frantically searched her brain for the most proper words a guest could say. 

"Wh-…Wha-…." A cold wind entered the room and sent a chill down her spine. Kate gulped and tried again. "Why do you have a beard?" 

Was biting her tongue enough? If only she could bite back her question, then maybe the woman's face would stop being red as a tomato. 

"Why, I'm a dwarf, of course!" The woman proudly exclaimed. This, of course, was a big surprise to Kate, but she bit her tongue and kept quiet out of politeness. The dwarf-woman, however, leaned closer to the bed. "You don't seem to know what a dwarf is, do you man-child?" 

"I-I'm…Please don't call me 'man-child'!" Kate replied, and the dwarf-woman seemed taken aback by this. "My name is Kate, Kate Bel Ana. Please, call me Kate." 

Kate's request effectively diverted the dwarf-woman's attention, and the pudgy…and hairy…face before her allowed a small, compassionate smile. "Alright then, Kate it is. Come out of the bed, Kate, so I may prepare you." 

"P-prepare?" Kate was confused, but she obeyed nonetheless. The she-dwarf didn't wait for her to get up, but went to the nearest drawer-like metal box and pulled out some baggy black cloth trousers and a pair of thick sock-like things. She handed these to Kate, then bustled away as the girl quietly shimmied into them over her own clothes. When the dwarf returned, holding a pair of small, brown leather boots, she shook her head and clucked her tongue at Kate's outfit. 

"I suppose that shirt should do. I have never felt such cloth so soft before. I was careful in washing it, too," the she-dwarf uttered before sauntering away. "Th-thank you very much," Kate managed to say, although softly, to the dwarf's back. She had feared the dwarf didn't hear it, but was assured when the she-dwarf returned with another smile. 

"May I please know your name, ma'am?" Kate asked shyly, slipping into the camel-brown robe made of coarse velvet. It was lined with soft snow-white fur, but otherwise unadorned. 

"Ghilda, at your service" the dwarf-woman replied, helping Kate with the dark brown leather sash that finally completed her ensemble. "My brother, Gridel son of Grimet, brought you here, and I was told to care for you." 

Kate hesitated to speak, stunned by this information. After a moment, she managed a soft reply. "Thank you for all that you've done, Miss Ghilda, and please thank your brother Gridel for me, too." Ghilda nodded, softened by the humble words. 

"Now, could you please tell me where is 'here'?" 

These words alarmed the dwarf, Kate could tell. But, with a heavy sigh, Ghilda uttered a reply. "You are in Moria, but don't tell them I told you!" Then, she squinted with gimlet eyes at her charge. "Now, come with me, Kate. The Council summons you." 


	5. Chapter 3

  
**Chapter 3 : Grim Greetings**

"What in Aulë's name have you brought with you, Gridel son of Grimet?" 

Gridel and Balder looked to each other, and then looked up at the venerable dwarf towering before them. Although his voice was calm and moderate, the Lord of Moria's lips were drawn in a thin line. His ash-white brows were furrowed, and they almost shadowed his eyes, which gazed upon them with a hint of anger, a hint of sorrow, and (this, Gridel noted with doubt) perhaps even a hint of foreboding doom. 

"What, indeed, can you expect from this bumbling, twittering pair, Lord Balin?" A dwarf belonging to the Council of Balin, who sat a few chairs away from said Lord, bellowed with not a little sarcasm. "Haven't they proven their foolishness enough times for us to expect them to achieve the least of expectations?" 

"And to think, with all the other problems we have to deal with!" Another Council member voiced out. "Oho! But, say, these two dunderheads are as blunt as can be!" 

Balder visibly cringed, but Gridel was able to note Lord Balin's reaction to this. The dwarf lord sat up and glared at his ill-tongued advisor (and Gridel was silently rejoicing at this) before sitting down with a loud grunt. 

"You had better watch your tongue, Blini son of Undi. Council member or not, you shall be dismissed if you don't keep that slippery tongue of yours in your mouth by the time the man-child arrives." 

At that moment, the ornate double doors opened to receive a she-dwarf and a human girl. Ghilda motioned for her companion, Kate, to step forward, and then she announced with a clear voice, "Our great Lord Balin son of Fundin, Lord of Moria, I humbly present to you the man-child." 

Kate stepped into the light. Before her was a raised platform, whereupon sat seven dwarf men, all wearing very fine—if a bit stuffy-looking—clothes and jewelry. At the head of this gathering was a dwarf with a long white beard and a crown atop his snow-white curls. She presumed this was Balin, and promptly bowed to the group. 

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lord Balin. My name is Kate Bel Ana, and I am eternally at your service." 

It was the best introduction she could come up with in such short notice, but the dwarves didn't seem to mind. They were busy muttering under their breath, even after Kate relieved herself from the uncomfortable bend and started looking around. 

To her far left, she found two sullen-looking dwarves sitting on chairs backed to a wall. She assumed one of them was Gridel, whom Ghilda said had saved her from whatever. The room wasn't that big, she noticed, and there was only one window in which the light shown in. It had four slender pillars and even ledges, much like those medieval castles (or were they actually dungeons?) Kate saw in the games she played. It looked particularly dreary all in all, especially because of all the grim dwarves in it. 

"Man-child," a dwarf spoke out from the group, although it wasn't Lord Balin. "Are you aware of the circumstances that brought you here?" Kate winced inwardly at that dreadful title. She was beginning to think that being human wasn't very nice in this place. (Since when did she have inferiority complex in dreams?) She forced an answer out of her lips, though the words sounded clipped and uncouth. "I am not sure myself, sirs." 

More mutterings from the dwarves followed her reply, and Kate waited a long while before she was made to answer another question. "Then explain to us what you think." 

Kate was surprised at the coldness of these words. So much for hospitality! Ghilda had left a while ago, so she had lost her only support, however superficial it was. With much effort, she summoned her memory and told the dwarves as much as she could. 

"Before all this, all I remember was going to bed. Then, I had the strangest dream. I was looking up at a ceiling made of water, and on its rippling surface first appeared a face, and then an arm. I grabbed the arm, I recall, and then it pulled me up. The next thing I remember was waking up in one of your rooms." 

This caused a heated discussion among the dwarves, and from the corner of her vision, Kate saw the two other dwarves shaking their heads in disbelief. 

The conference was only short, and finally Lord Balin spoke to Kate. "Man-child, we have discerned honesty in your words, though the tongues of Men have yet to be proven trustworthy. In the dealings of the dwarves, it is not seldom that we encounter such strange tales of your like. And, if what we suspect has truth in it, it would be the doings of the Fair Folk who have gotten you into this predicament. 

"Now, you must be grateful that our kind has chanced upon you in such opportune time! There is no telling what one of those elves might have done to you, had you been discovered in their borders and not found by Gridel son of Grimet and Balder son of Dash, here." 

Lord Balin gestured to the two dwarves, who promptly stood up and bowed to Kate. She returned the courtesy before looking back at the dwarf lord. 

Lord Balin continued, "They had found you floating on the Mirrormere, and brought you into our walls. It was Balder who told me of this, and Ghilda, sister to Gridel, took care of you for two days now." 

Kate looked once more to her so-called saviors, and Balder (she assumed it was him, because Ghilda and the dwarf beside him had the same wavy orange hair…and beards) smiled at her. Not all dwarves were so dismal, Kate surmised, relieved that Balder at least was being positively supportive. 

"Now, do you know where you are, man-child?" 

The question drew her like a moth to a flame. Kate's head shot up and Lord Balin stared at her with hooded eyes. His voice contained the slightest hint of pity, and by tone alone it was clear that it was no opportune time at all she was brought into this dreary dwarf home. "You are in Moria, man-child. It is a dwarf mine under the Misty Mountains." 

"And…and I believe this doll belongs to you." 

A passing cloud cast the room in poor light, but when the shadows receded, Gridel stepped up to her and handed her a brown teddy bear with the unmistakable striped red-and-white shirt. 

SMEE! Kate was overjoyed. But…but what was Smee doing here? Isn't this supposed to be a dream? 

"You have been brought into Moria, man-child," a stern voice uttered from the gathering of dwarves around Lord Balin, "but do not mistake your brief stay as welcome. Do not think our hospitality would extend beyond meals and accommodations. For if you think civility would grant you freedom to wander these halls, may Aulë prove you wrong." 

Moria…Smee…the mines? What the hell am I doing in Lord of the Rings!? 

Kate's voice faltered, though she wanted badly to wipe away the smug looks on those dwarves' faces. Only Lord Balin's countenance remained grim, and even sad. Before she could find her voice, the Council of Balin followed the Lord of Moria out the back door. 


	6. Chapter 4

  
**Chapter 4 : Ghilda**

Ghilda heard her own footsteps echo down the long hall. It had always disturbed her, how hollow her footsteps sounded. There was always this 'wrong feeling' she gets from time to time, ever since she and her brother had set foot in this dark place. 

Her march stopped at the foot of the farthest door, in the westernmost end of the hall. It was where Kate was residing, for four days now. The poor man-child hadn't come out of the room for a day and a half straight, not that anybody wanted her to. But Ghilda pitied the girl, because she had looked miserable from the moment she set eyes on her. 

"Kate! Kate, are you awake yet, child?" 

The loud rapping on the door woke Kate up, but not that she was sleeping. She had been in a daze for hours now, and the voice outside, Ghilda's most definitely, stirred her from her trance-like position. 

Ghilda knew the door wasn't locked, but she hesitated a moment before going in. Could the man-child still be weeping? She had the feeling the girl was more shocked at her current state than anybody else. There wasn't much to comfort her, cooped up and not exactly invited to their meals as she was. Perhaps, though she was a bit unsure, Kate would like a bit of music to cheer her up? 

Kate frantically rubbed her eyes and cheeks, though she knew it was futile. She had been crying for hours now, and had been coughing and sniffing between sobs for hours still. It was a pathetic thing to do, but how do you expect her not to be wretched about the whole scenario? From the moment Smee was returned to her, Kate's mind melted into a confused puddle. Oh, she had paced that whole afternoon, when the shock hadn't yet registered. 

_ She knew exactly where she was. She knew where Moria is; the dwarves said it was a mine, the books said it was a **tomb**… This was the worst nightmare she could ever have stumbled into, Kate thought bitterly. Why hadn't the Tolkien fairies of her subconscious bothered to drop her somewhere where there were goddamn ELVES instead!?_

The day after she had regained consciousness felt like it was the worst day of her life. Part of why she hadn't as much as gone insanely mad yesterday was because she still had the vague hopings that this was all a dream. She had put all her confidence in this belief, and you could imagine how shattered she was when she woke up to find her surroundings hadn't changed a single bit. 

"Kate, your cheeks!" Ghilda exclaimed as she rushed to the sniffling heap of limbs on the stone floor. "Get up, man-child! You'll catch your death!" 

Kate stood up shakily. She couldn't resist snickering, at herself of course. Where did all that bravado go now that she finally got her DREAM LIFE? Where was the brave, dashing heroine of her childhood fantasies, who withstood the psychological trauma of being dumped (rather rudely) into another world the moment she sets foot on it? Who was this crying, filthy, uber-pathetic, uninvited guest that found herself inside a dwarf MINE, of all the places on Middle Earth!? 

It was a good thing that she had removed her robe and sash. They were hanging on the chair she was now holding for support. Everything else was grimy and damp, like she had just been drenched in a bucket of tears. 

Ghilda made a similar analogy, but she was none-too-pleased about it. Her charge was soaking wet, and those pale cheeks looked like they had been pinched a hundred times. She quickly went about tidying the man-child, and had already fixed a hot bath for her when Kate finally spoke. 

"I'm sorry for the mess, Miss Ghilda. I can clean myself up now." 

This immensely relieved the dwarf-woman, and she exited the bathroom. 

When Kate emerged from the bath twenty minutes later, Ghilda had already laid out new clothes for her to wear. There was a burgundy shirt on the bed, with simple gold embroidery on its hem and sleeves. There was a pair of burgundy leggings that matched it and a pair of black woolly socks that reached above her knees. Kate pulled on a long black leather vest, and Ghilda helped her fasten its ornate little damask clasps. Finally, the dwarf helped her into a pair of dark brown long boots and Kate rolled her socks down to keep the cold from getting into the extra comfortable (though a bit too bulky) leather shoes. 

"Thank you very much, Miss Ghilda," Kate said, after she finished dressing. "You've been so kind to me all this time." 

The dwarf blushed and muttered a soft, "You're very welcome, Kate." Then, she tut-tutted for a while about Kate's crying for an entire day. The human girl didn't mind this, not bothering to acknowledge its blatant insensitivity. 'I guess dwarves are just like that,' she thought, looking elsewhere in the room. Smee immediately caught her eye, and she snatched him from the mess of pillows on her bed. 

"You should get out some, Kate. It's not like you're a prisoner; those grumbling dwarves are just cold fishes, the lot!" 

Ghilda's laugh was deep and throaty, and Kate was so warmed by its heartiness that she joined in. After a while, both girls settled down and Ghilda said, "I'm just sorry things have to be this way, but surely you know of the evil rising in the South? This has put a great strain on all the Free Peoples," then, here Ghilda seemed to grow reluctant…and even a little afraid, "and Lord Balin has more than his share of the troubles." 

The atmosphere turned dreary all of a sudden, and to Kate, it felt like she was really trapped in a tomb. Had the orcs not yet invaded? Was it possible that they were already lurking in the dark recesses of the mines? Now that the bath had cleared Kate's mind, it was time to assess the situation and make the most out of it. But first, she had to find out one important thing. 

"Miss Ghilda, may I know what date today is?" 

The dwarf looked puzzled for a while before answering, "I suppose it's the fifth of Cermië, if my reckoning of your days serves me right." Ghilda took Kate's confusion as absent-mindedness, so she decided to add, "If you ought to know, it's a Wednesday, and we found you on a Sunday." 

Ghilda might as well have been speaking in Russian. Kate tried another tactic and asked the dwarf-woman, "Well, maybe you know the Shire-reckoning?" 

The dwarf's small eyes widened with surprise. "The calendar of the Shire? But what of this place you know? Mayhap you live there? You haven't told me much about yourself yet, you know!" 

Kate winced inwardly at Ghilda's sudden eagerness. It was evidently hard to get by in this world without spilling the beans, but somehow she wanted to keep what she knew of how she _really_ got here a secret, especially of what she knew of Middle Earth's—as unlikely as this sounds—near future. 

"Er…yes, actually," came her reply, followed by a small, nervous laugh. Ghilda's eyes just widened more. "Then you must know of Mr. Baggins! Bilbo Baggins?" asked the very excited dwarf. Kate shrugged, hiding the fact that she was grappling for words. "Umm…yes," she finally answered. "The…adventurer who lives in Bag End?" "Yes! Exactly!" Ghilda nodded, suddenly child-like in her glee. "I have only met the honoured Halfling once, and that time was one very good memory. Lord Balin would regale us with tales of their adventures while we dine, and it was always with some funny song or dance. Did you know that Mr. Baggins had a nephew? Lord Balin had visited him last a many years back and the sprite was named Frodo." 

"Erm…his nephew, yes," was Kate's hesitant reply. 

"Well now, we must mention this at the banquet then," Ghilda said, smiling. 

Kate froze. "Banquet? What banquet?" Ghilda ignored her and instead tut-tutted once more. She picked up the fur-lined coat draped on the chair and helped Kate slip into it. Then, she helped the girl tie its leather sash, while saying, "This will keep you comfortable. It has been a while since I last took up the needle, but I suppose these are serviceable, if not the latest of fashions." 

"Can you please tell me what date is today, in Shire-reckoning?" 

"Oh, yes!" Ghilda exclaimed with an apologetic tone. "It's the twenty-fifth of June, 3018, I believe, if my counting hasn't erred. A bleak summer, this one, but still cold as can be expected under the mountains." 

This answer had a ton of meaning to Kate. She wasn't much of a fanatic of the books, but she knew enough to remember that this year was one of the most important years of the Third Age. There were a lot of things to think about, not to mention puzzle about. But all these, Kate decided, would be during the banquet. 

Right now, looking at Ghilda's warm smile as the dwarf led her down the long corridors; it was enough to be grateful that she didn't fall into grimy orc hands. 


End file.
